Typewriting machine



E. ,A. PETERSON. TYPEWRITING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.2, I920.

P M. m

y Alf/or ey TED STATES P A T EDWIN A. rErERsoN, or ivrAnrsoiv, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPE- WRITER coMrANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A ooRroRA'rIoN 0E DELAWARE.

1 TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patent d pl 28 1922;

Application filed March .2, 1920. Serial No. 362,645.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN A. PETERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ribbon manipulating devices or tongs for typewriting machines, and is herein shown as especially adapted to be used for threading a ribbon through the ribbon carrier of an Underwood typewriting machine.

One of the sources of annoyance, incident to typewriting, is the necessity of replacing a wornribbon by hand, this operation being one that is awkward, and is likely to soil the fingers of the typist. Accordingto the present invention, the fingers of the typist need not touch the ribbon in threading it through the ribbon-carrier, which serves to lift the ribbon to the printing point. The device used for this purpose may also be used for threading the ribbon through the ribbon guides, which direct the ribbon to the ribbon spools.

The Underwood ribbon-carrier usually comprises a pair of broad tines, forming a fork, so that the types may strike the ribbon between the tines, and each tine has an ear or member which is adapted to overhang the edge of the ribbon and carry it down. For holding the ribbon in place beneath the arms, each tine usually comprises a lug, carrying a pin or projection, in front of which the ribbon is threaded, with the result that theribbon is held stretched across the fork, adjacentthe platen, and vibrates up and down the carrier.

It has hitherto been customary for the typist to use the'fingers in slipping the ribbon down between the ear and the tine. According to the present invention, the typist may avoid the necessity of threading the ribbon by hand, by employing a device, comprising a pair of spaced arms, which are adapted to seize by clips, on opposite faces, the opposite ends of a loop of the ribbon.

Said spaced arms may be just far enough from each other to straddle a tine of the ribbon-carrier, thus enabling one armto support the ribbon between the tine and the platen, while the otherarm supports the opposite end of the loop in front of the tine, w th the result that the bight of the loop shps easily between the adjacent ear and pin of the carrier.

lVhen the ribbon has then been inserted or threaded on one tine, it may be similarly threaded upon the other tine. The two spaced arms may be fast to a finger-piece, and each clip may be extended to form a linger-piece, thus enabling the typist to easily manipulate the clips and hold the device, while using it to manipulate the ribbon.

It will be observed that the device is adapted to be built out of stamped metal parts, thus enabling it to be sold at a negligible cost when sold with typewriter ribbons.

Other features and advantages will hereafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an Underwood typewriting machine, showing a ribbon threaded through one side of the carrier and being threaded through the other side by the device of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view, diagrammatically showing how the device first may seize the ribbon.

Figure 3 is a similar view, showing the device seizing two ends of a loop.

Figure 4 is a similar view, showing the position of the spools and the loop when threading the ribbon.

Figure 5 is a side view of the device when gripping a loop of ribbon.

Figure 6 is a plan view, in section, of the device, as being used in'Figure 1.

Figure 7 is an end view of the device.

In the Underwood typewriting machine, type bars 10 swing upwardly and. rearwardly, so that types 11, on their ends, strike be tween the ears 12 of the usual type-guide 13, with the result that the types 11 print through the ribbon 14: upon a work-sheet passed around a platen 15. The ribbon 14 is threaded through a' ribbon-carrier 16, formed as a fork, comprising tines 17, be-

upper lug 18. The ribbon 1. 1

passes neath the lugs or ears 18 by the usual pins 19, fast upon lower extensions 19" of the tines 17. The ribbon 14; is drawn from a a loop of the ribbon the spool 20.

ribbon spool 20, mounted to revolve in the usual ribbon-cup 21, and is guided through a fork 22 adapted to lead it to the carrier 16.

According to the present invention, when it is desired to thread a ribbon between the ear 18 and the pin 19, it may be gripped against an arm 23 of aribbon manipulating device 24, being held therea-gainst by a clip 25, which is pivoted in stamped-out ears 26, turned up from the edge ofthe sheet-metal of the arm 23.

To enablethe arm 23 and the clip 25 to be manipulated to grip the ribbon, the clip 25 is extended upward beyond the ears 26 to form a finger-piece 27, so that the spring '28, which normally swings the clip 25 against the arm 23, may be compressed and the clip 25 swung outward to embrace the ribbon.

hen the finger-piece 27 is released, the] spring 28 causes the clip-25 to grip the ribbon. The spring 28 may be riveted to the upper end of the arm 23 by a rivet 29, and the upper end 30 of the finger-piece 27 may be bent outwardly to a considerable extent for convenience'in gripping.

VVhenone arm 23 has thus gripped the ribbon at one point, the ribbon may be bent as in Figure 3, so as to form a loop 31, thus enabling a second arm 32, spaced from the arm 23, to grip the other end of the loop. For this purpose, the arm 32'is held fast to the arm 23 by a sheet-metal base, forming a finger-piece 33, and adjacent to the fingerpiece 33 is a finger-piece 34-, corresponding to the finger-piece 27, and adapted to be pressed inwardly, to enable a clip 35 like the clip 25 to seize the opposite end of the loop 31; lVhen the fingenpiece 34 is released, its spring 28, acting precisely like the spring 28 described above, causes it to seize the ribbon. The loop 31 isthen easily threaded through the openingbetween the pin 19 and the ear 18, if the loop is made of the proper length, because the arms 23 and 32 are so spaced that they slip over easily, though fitting fairly closely, the flat faces of the tine 17, as shown clearly in Figure 6.

When the ribbon has been thus threaded past one tine 17 it may be similarly threaded upon the other tine 17 by gripping another convenient point. Any slack in the ribbon found necessary or convenient for thus,

easily'taken out by rotating threading it is To enable the arms 23 and 32 to co-operate the arms are made somewhat longer than the chps,-as shown in Figure 5. Theolips 25 may also be somewhat narrower :than the "arms, as shown lnFigure 7, thus rendering the device economical to build, by bringing the clips within the cars 26.

by the device 24 at any thin sheetmetal arms,

their ends a member of V intermediatev its length 1Ir1bbons aresold, with, each end at-' Variations may be'resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions ofthe improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim: I I

1. A ribbon manipulating device for typewriting machines, comprising a pair of arms adapted to straddle closely a member of a ribbon carrier, a clip outside 'of'each arm, and finger-piece extensions of saidclips to enable the clips to points to form a loop.

2. A ribbon manipulating device for a typewriting machine, comprising a pair of,

arms adapted to straddleclosely a member ofa ribbon carrier, sald arms hav ng flat outer i'aces adapted to hold a ribbon in a i seize a ri'bbon at two I smooth loop, a thin flat clip adapted to bear upon each of said faces, and finger-piece ex tensions of said clips to enable the clips to seize the ribbon at two points to form the loop.

3. A ribbon manipulating device for a typewriting machine, comprising a pair of arms adapted to straddle closely a member of a ribbon carrier, said arms havingfiat outer faces adapted to hold a ribbon in a smooth .loop,a thin flat clip adapted to bear upon each of said'faces, a spring for each clip normally holding it against its face to hold the ribbon, and finger-piece extensions of said clips to enable the clips to seize the ribbon.

ILA. ribbon manipulating device for a' comprising a pair of typewriting machine arms spaced at their a member of aribbon carrier, a finger rest upon the upper ends of i 4 oted intermediate their ends uponthe arms and adapted to hold the twoends of a loop of ribbon against the-outer faces of the garnis, springbetweenthe upper end of each chpand ends to straddle closely the arms; clips pivlts-arm, and a finger-piece in the upper end of each clip adapted it clear of. theribbon toena-bleithe seizethe loop. 7 most conveniently with the clips 25and to swing arms to them spaced apart to straddle 'c-loselyat a1 finger rest holding 7 p a ribbon carrier, ears 7 turned up fromeach-arm, a clip pivoted face, so that the two clips holda loop' of on each arm adapt- V ed-to hold-the ribbon against thefadjacent ribbon, and finger-pieces formed upon the ends of said clips adjacent the rest to release them.

6. A ribbon-manipulating device for a typewriting machine, comprising two gripping devices, one for each of the two sides of a loop of ribbon while it is being passed down over a carrier, a support for said devices on which they are spaced so as to straddle said carrier, a finger-piece for each of said devices, and finger-piece-actuated means for controlling said gripping devices.

7. A ribbon manipulating device for a typewriting machine comprising-a pair of thin sheet-metal arms, a thin sheet-metal finger rest forming a base from which they spring, turned-up ears between the ends of the arms, clips journaled intermediate their ends in said ears, and flat springs interposed between the upper ends of the clips to normally hold the clips effective, the upper ends of the clips being bent outwardly to enable them to be used as finger-pieces to spread them to seize a ribbon.

8. A ribbon-gripping tool whereby a ribbon connected to a ribbon spool at each end may be threaded into the wings of a ribbon carrier, adapted to permit threading thereof by a transverse movement of the ribbon, said tool comprising normally effective ribbongripping devices spaced so as to permit the same to receive the carrier therebetween, and manually-operable means whereby the gripping devices may be rendered ineffective either separately or concurrently.

9. A ribbon-manipulating device for a typewriter having a type-bar guide and a ribbon oscillator behind the same, said ribbon oscillator having lateral extensions into which the ribbon may be threaded by transverse movement of the latter, said ribbonmanipulating device comprising a body, two spring-pressed gripping devices projecting from said body at such a distance apart so as to permit placing the same over the oscillator at either side of the guide to thread, in the adjacent lateral extension, a loop of ribbon, each side of which is held by one of the gripping devices, and a releasing device for each of said gripping devices.

\ 10. A ribbon manipulating device for typewriting machines, comprising a pair of fiat faced arms spaced to straddle closely a member of a ribbon carrier, a flat faced clip pivoted on each arm to swing to and from it, said clip terminating slightly short of its arm, and a spring for each clip normally holding it against its arm.

11. A ribbon-manipulating device where by a ribbon supported by spools on a typewriter may be threaded, without contact by the fingers, first into one and then into the other of the lateral extensions of a ribbon oscillator, said device comprising independently operable grippers spaced apart to straddle the oscillator, and independent manually-operable releasing devices, one-for each gripper, whereby the ribbon may be gripped by one gripper, a loop formed, the ribbon gripped by the other gripper on the other side of the loop, and the ribbon in the loop threaded into one of the extensions by causing the grippers to straddle the oscillator.

EDWIN A. PETERSON. Witnesses:

KING M. BACON, ALVIN ANDERSON. 

